'Gado Gado': Spicy Indonesian Salad And Song

Gado-Gado The Dish

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Originally from Indonesia or Betawi, it is a spicy Indonesian salad of raw and also slightly boiled, steamed vegetables and hard-boiled eggs. The boiled potatoes, fried tofu and tempeh, with rice wrapped in a banana leaf, called lontong, are served with a peanut sauce dressing. The sauce can either be poured over the entire dish or dipped according to the diners' wish.

Gado Gado The Song:

It is traditional or folk song that centers around the home and family, is common in Asia. Indonesia is no exception. Gado-gado is a very popular dish from the kitchen tables of the thousands of islands in the Indonesian Archipelago. It is the first song with a food theme that I learnt as a child of the 40s in Singapore.

The other popular one with a similar theme is Rujak Uleg (Indonesian Salad) with lyrics in Javanese. The ingredients for both include fresh and boiled vegetables like long beans, bean sprouts, sliced potatoes, tame-pay (fermented beans), fried tofu and prawn crackers. The gravy is pound fried groundnuts with chilli sauce.

Keroncong Instruments with Indonesian musicians.

https://www.nowjakarta.co.id/kampung-tugu-the-identity-of-keroncong/

Gado Gado The Lyrics [with English interpretation]

Gado-gadonya, Bung, dari Jakarta

(Gado gado brother, is from Jakarta)

Sangat digemari rakyat jelata…

(Loved by citizens in the country)

Satu bungkusnya, Bung, sa-tengah rupiah, Bang Achmad pulang, Bung sudah sedia…

(A packet costs half a rupiah, when husband Achmad comes home his gado2 is ready)

Gado-Gado Jakarta - Orkes Keroncong Rumput

Screen Shot from YouTube Video by: RUMPUT

Jika Mpoh minah, Bung malas ke dapur

(If wife Poh Minah is too lazy to go to the kitchen)

Semua ada: tahu goreng, kerupuk udang,

campur-campur… tahu goreng, kerupuk udang,

(Everything's in: fried tofu, fried prawn-crackers, a good mix,

Bila Mpok Minah, Bung malas belanja

(When wife Minah is too lazy to market)

Beli gado-gado dari Jakarta 

(She buys gado-gado, Jakarta styled).

Gado-Gado Jakarta - Orkes Keroncong Rumput

YouTube Video by: RUMPUT

Lyrics: http://lirik.kapanlagi.com/artis/mus_mulyadi/gado-gado_jakarta

Images: Google.

Interpretation: Andy.

[This article is an expanded re-post from 23rd July, 2011.]